Gas kiln

Hello,
New to the group with a question. I have used gas kins in the past, at a college studio, have since moved out to the sticks and don't have much in the way of local resources to fire my work. I have a line on a 36cf gas updraft kiln, comes with the 500gal propane tank and transport for a small fee. Screamin deal overall. The kiln was fired less than a year ago and was in working order at that time. There is no reason to assume that anything major has changed during that time. Everything appears to be in order to my untrained eye, but I wanted to get your opinions on things to look for and consider prior to jumping in head first. I would add that the kiln has been outside for 15 years and looks a little rusty accordingly, but all the structural steel appears to be solid, unknown if it was new or used at that point. I could also put it in my shop, but would then have to vent it.
I thought having the ability to bisque and high fire with one kiln would be efficient. There is a small bunch of us in the town who would love to have local access to a gas kiln, and chip in on the gas bill i'm sure. I have a concrete pad I could put it on, although it is outside.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Brian

Sounds like a great opportunity.
I am assuming this is soft brick with an arch. Could it be built from an Olsen kit?
Having a 500 gallon tank is excellent.

To move it, I think you should re-enforce the arch and walls with some plywood and 2 x 4 braces....just as a precautionary measure.
I would also put some type of corrugated tin roof over it for protection from the weather. Soft bricks should stay dry. Anything that has rusted should be cleaned up.
I used a large up draft in South Texas last year and the rust from the damper mechanism really got all over the inside or the kiln including the pots on the top and the shelves. The iron actually spotted the shelves and then spotted the porcelain in future firings. This was a 72 cubic foot kiln Olsen kiln kit with 4 columns of shelves, 20 x20" and assembled in 1991.

In these pics you can see some of the rust. The burners' discs were frozen open. I think there were 16 burners. The previous instructor left excellent kiln logs. The firings were controlled by gas pressure on the inner and outer rings of the burner gas lines and the dampers. The rust from the chimney fell inside the kiln when the dampers were open. Note the arch is mis-aligned. This kiln was moved across campus. The floor had a huge crack is in it and the burners didn't line up with the ports due to mis-alignment. So take precautions.

Thats a big kiln but the price may be right-I would as noted above reinforce the arch on the inside to move it-thats the best way to keep it from damage. If it where mine i would bend some 1/4 plywood and slip this against the arch form and build a 2/4 frame to support it well for transport.
I would also put it outside on that pad and build a metal shed over it to keep it dry all year.
Hope it comes with kiln furniture?posts and shelves?
My 2 cents
Mark

As Mark says 1/4" plywood will work for an arch support. tempered 1/8" masonite will bend easier around plywood ribs depending on how acute of a curve you need to bend.. If you can find an old A.P. Green handbook with the radius for various arches and brick combinations for sprung arches. It will help you construct the arch support.
If not, use some newsprint and trace the curve inside the arch to construct an arch support. It is really important to hold the form moving the kiln..

1500 for the kiln, furniture, 500 gal tank (20%) full and the move. Thanks for the tips! Moving day is on Friday! I will start constructing the braces now and be sure to take lots of photos along the way.

Have the fork lift driver TAKE his TIME moving this and have him/her be gentle with it at each end of trip.If you put it on your concrete slab you can move it around by placing it on lengths of steel conduit and rolling it Egyptian style as one length comes out place it at front again and so one so with 4-6 pieces you can move it anywhere on the slab.Use a long pry bar to get last piece out by raising one end. A floor jack also works if you have access to one.
The tank will be heavy as well.
Mark

Moving day was a success! An ordeal as anticipated though. With the internal skeleton I built everything stayed in place during the move. Although a forklift would have been nice, we ended up using tractors as that was what we had on-hand and the kiln already had big bolts welded on each corner for that express purpose. I put it in the shop for some minor hardware and brick repairs while I work on getting the slab pored.
The guy I bought it from said he would, at times have difficulty with the kiln shutting down on it's own. As a result of this I am going to replace the thermocouple and pilot light. QUESTION: I know there are different types of thermocouples out there, but none of the thermocouples at the local hardware store differentiate between the types... Any suggestions on what has worked for you in the past?
More to come as it develops.
My better half with the kiln.IMG_0791.JPG167.84KB36 downloadsIMG_0790.JPG198.05KB45 downloads

There are many different types of thermocouples-I have none on any kilns so others will have to chime in on kiln ones.
I will say a heating supply house or repair shop may be a better choice than hardware store. I have bought heater thermocouples from eastway sales in Texas. Google them and call them- after sending them a photo of it.
mark

Congratulations on a successful move. You could call Marc Ward for questions about thermocouple sources. There are all types as mentioned.
Or if you can determine the burner maker , contact the company.
Anyway, the biggest challenge is over. Congratulations.

Hello,New to the group with a question. I have used gas kins in the past, at a college studio, have since moved out to the sticks and don't have much in the way of local resources to fire my work. I have a line on a 36cf gas updraft kiln, comes with the 500gal propane tank and transport for a small fee. Screamin deal overall. The kiln was fired less than a year ago and was in working order at that time. There is no reason to assume that anything major has changed during that time. Everything appears to be in order to my untrained eye, but I wanted to get your opinions on things to look for and consider prior to jumping in head first. I would add that the kiln has been outside for 15 years and looks a little rusty accordingly, but all the structural steel appears to be solid, unknown if it was new or used at that point. I could also put it in my shop, but would then have to vent it. I thought having the ability to bisque and high fire with one kiln would be efficient. There is a small bunch of us in the town who would love to have local access to a gas kiln, and chip in on the gas bill i'm sure. I have a concrete pad I could put it on, although it is outside. Thanks for your thoughts. Brian

Hello Brian,

I have a small gas kiln, nothing like that. At some point I didnt use it for some time. Big surprise: clogged burner with a tiny piece of lint. One firing lost and learning how to get it working.Also all the security sections should be looked at. Before using a gas kiln after sometime one should desasemble the burners, use a vacum cleaner and reasemble. My car mechanic helped me the first time and we used a air pressure machine. If parts have to be replaced industrial ovens and hoobs companies sometimes have them.Best luck Sofia